- Massachusetts, USA -
UPDATE: September 29, 2021
31-year-old RASHAD JADON GOBER (pictured below), whom the Cambridge Police Department arrested on July 1, in connection with an investigation into three East Cambridge animal cruelty cases, killed himself on Sunday, September 26, 2021.
As reported by Cambridge Day, GOBER’s death was confirmed on Tuesday, September 28, by family in Georgia and his mother, Eureka Gober, said by phone that she was awaiting information beyond the barest facts of her son’s death.
GOBER was awaiting trial on charges of animal cruelty and if convicted, could have faced up to only seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000 on each of four animal cruelty charges.
UPDATE: July 7, 2021
The Cambridge Police Department, the City of Cambridge Animal Commission and the MSPCA-Angell Law Enforcement Division announced an arrest has been made in connection with an investigation into three East Cambridge animal cruelty cases that occurred between March and May 2021.
Authorities have arrested 31-year-old RASHAD JADON GOBER (pictured below), at his home on the early morning of Thursday, July 1, and was charged with four counts of animal cruelty.
In a news release Cambridge Police recounted the first case that was brought to their attention and that triggered an investigation: “On Thursday, May 6, 2021, an Animal Control Officer with the Cambridge Animal Commission responded to a call about an animal crying underneath a car and discovered that a cat, whose hind legs were bound with masking tape, had already died. A necropsy showed that a large percentage of “Gosha’s” fur was missing, and the cat suffered multiple BB gunshot wounds across its face and body.”
While authorities were investigating this case, two additional cases in East Cambridge were brought to the attention of the Cambridge Police Department, Animal Commission and the MSPCA.
One had happened early March when a cat named Tammy was found shot with a BB gun and thankfully the furbaby recovered from the injuries.
The other incident involved a cat named Buddy who suffered chemical burns.
He also was able to recover.
According to the news release, police were able to get to GOBER after he had posted on a neighborhood social networking app that he found Buddy in his backyard and brought him into his apartment for medical attention.
Additionally, police acted on tips and information submitted by the community.
WCVB reports that GOBER’s landlord, Walter Tauro, and Dana Petrillo, who does maintenance at the Hurley Street building where GOBER lives, helped tip off police.
They found “evidence in and around the building, including BB gun pellets, cat hair in the basement, cans and plates of cat food scattered in the vacant first floor apartment.”
Mr. Petrillo pieced things together with the help of flyer he saw on a post offering a reward in exchange for information leading to the person responsible for Gosha’s death.
GOBER was luring defenseless cats into his apartment with the sole sick and evil purpose of abusing and torturing them!
Police also discovered a hidden camera in the side alley.
GOBER used it to film cats with his phone getting caught on sticky traps.
The Google history on his iPhone showed that this sick monster searched for information on how to abuse cats including “Will Clorox burn a cat”; “How to lure neighborhood cats”; “Blowing weed smoke in a cat's face”; “Cat cruelty video clips”; and “Desire to harm cats in adulthood.”
At his arraignment hearing on the day he was arrested, GOBER pleaded NOT GUILTY!
Animal cruelty is a felony crime in Massachusetts punishable by up to seven years in prison and a maximum fine of $5,000.
~ Original story:
The MSPCA-Angell reports that on Thursday, May 6, at approximately 8:00 a.m. a young male cat was found dead after being bound and shot.
The furbaby was discovered near the intersection of Hurley and Sciarappa Streets in Cambridge.
MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement along with the City of Cambridge Police Department, and the Cambridge Animal Control division, are reaching out to the public in hopes of finding the sick monster cable of inflicting such a SENSELESS torture on a small being who could not fight back!
As reported by the MSPCA-Angell, a Cambridge’s Animal Control Officer received a call about a cat crying underneath a car.
On the scene, the officer observed that the furbaby was already dead and his hind legs were bound with a masking tape.
The officer then took the furbaby to Angell Animal Medical Center in Jamaica Plain.
The feline was described as mostly black and shorthaired, with patches of white on his face, neck, and paws.
Pathologist Pam Mouser performed a necropsy on the cat and results showed that the sweet angel suffered multiple BB gunshot wounds across his tiny face and his body.
Eleven BBs were removed from his body.
The MSPCA-Angell also said that “a large percentage of the cat’s fur was missing.”
Dr. Mouser said: “This case is a particularly disturbing as the cat was not only shot numerous times, but was also purposefully bound with tape and ultimately left to die from his injuries.”
It turned out that cat’s name was Gosha and that his family was looking for him after disappearing from in front of his home two days prior.
Gosha’s guardian, Francisco Rosales said he sensed something was wrong so he and his wife immediately put up flyers in their neighborhood.
Mr. Rosales said: “We’re devastated, and we cannot believe that something like this could happen to our cat, and our fear is that whoever killed Gosha could do this to someone else’s pet. We urge anyone who may have information about who did this to please call the investigators.”
A reward is being offered in exchange for information leading to the conviction of the vile, worthless, human feces responsible for this heinous act.
A few hours ago, the MSPCA-Angell posted on their Facebook page that the reward has been increased from $1,000 to $2,500.
If you have information regarding this case, I beg you, come forward and speak for Gosha.
Please call the MSPCA-Angell’s Law Enforcement Department at (800) - 628 - 5808. Thank you!
Despite campaigns and appeals addressed to cat parents urging them to keep their furbabies indoors at all times, there are still people who irresponsibly allow their cats to roam outside.
Not everyone out there is an animal lover.
Never leave your furbabies unsupervised just like you would not leave your human babies unsupervised.
And don’t let your “nice neighborhood” fool you. Evil travels!
Voice For Us Disclaimer: This story is sourced from official news outlets. Links included.
Details may be removed or additional information may be provided in future should such sources report an update.
Picture shared from MSPCA-Angell
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